Star Wars: Jedi Knight
by 1534rosa
Summary: The crew of the Mantis find themselves struggling for direction in the wake of Cal's decision to destroy the holocron and their escape from Nur. Merrin most of all can sense the shadow of the darkside loom over their number and most heavily over her dearest friend and ally. When Cal begins to make some odd decisions, questions will breed harsh truths along their fractured path...
1. Attachment

**Hello. So I recently beat Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for the second time and one of if not my favorite highlights of the game was the second trip to Dathomir. As a long time fan of the Clone Wars the Nightsisters were easily one of my favorite arcs in the show, I could go on forever about how much I loved Cal's interactions with Merrin and the game in general...But I think a better way to express it is this little idea that popped into my head one night.**

**This is more or less my speculation on how the sequel could start, particularly pertaining to the possible pairing of a rookie Jedi knight and the last of the Nighsisters. Again this is all just speculation and I imagine the actual writers will do a much better job than I ever could but still, it's fun.**

**To those of you who are wondering why I haven't posted another chapter of the Crocus and the Crow, the simple truth is I just haven't felt like working on that story lately. By no means have I given up on it but I've just wanted to work on other things.**

**Anyway, enough prattle. Please enjoy this.**

Star Wars: Jedi Knight

Chapter 1: Attachment

"So, where to next?" those were the words Cal had spoken but so many months ago after his battle with Trilla at the Fortress Inquisitorius. In that time that was a question he and his friends came to ask often, especially Greez, seeing as he was the captain of the ship. The holocron containing the list of force sensitive children had been destroyed but by no means did that mean they intended to simply sit on their hands. On Zeffo Cal had learned of an imperial directive known as Project Auger.

The Emperor evidently held a particular interest in Zeffo artifacts but why and for what purpose they had not determined yet. But whatever the reasons they could not be good, the Zeffo were a powerful force in the galaxy in ages past and if there was one thing the emperor desired above all others, it was power. Their previous journey had brought them a new goal; to discover the purpose of Project Auger and thwart the emperor's plans for any Zeffo relics he had yet to obtain.

Sadly they had accomplished little thus far as Zeffo and Kashyyk were now occupied by substantial imperial forces-too many for the five of them to contend with. And while Dathomir remained free of the empire's presence it was difficult to explore the planet; the Night Brother's had become even less welcoming since Cal and Merrin had slain Taron Malicos in the Tomb of Kujet. Not to mention the world's native fauna was perhaps some of the most dangerous in the galaxy, no doubt influenced by the strong dark side presence that resided there.

Though their options were limited they had visited many places old and new and filled with perils of the same cloth. And despite having a burning target on their back they had managed to remain under the empire's radar, however the Haxian Brood's bounty hunters continued to pursue them from planet to planet. Sorc Tormo didn't appreciate Cal's survival and escape from his fighting pits, evidently seeing it as a humiliation he would not let rest until he'd killed them all...naturally.

It was a distraction they could no longer afford to suffer if they were to continue their mission to stop the emperor's plans. They were in Hyper Space transit now to Ordo Eris, the Haxian Brood's space station stronghold where Cal intended to deal with Sorc...once and for all.

Greez as always was at the helm, making sure their course was steady...and to distract himself from the fact they were heading straight for the last people he wanted to see-**ever**. But the Lateron pilot had learned to trust his Jedi friends even if the situation was hazardous...or involved nature. And if Cal's plan worked then he and the kid wouldn't have to keep looking over their shoulder for the Brood, then they could look over their shoulder for the empire instead.

Cere...well Cere perhaps wasn't doing as well as everyone else. She hadn't disputed Cal's decision to destroy the holocron at the time, but as the months dragged on she was plagued by the memory of Vader's saber cutting down her former padawan. And Cal's cyan blade destroying the holocron, an object she had placed all her hope in; hope for the revival of the Jedi order, hope for the fall of the empire...hope for her own redemption. Up till this point she had staved off these darker thoughts by the sense of purpose their new mission had brought her. But this side trip to free themselves of the Haxian Brood's harassment had opened the door for them to invade her mind.

She had seated herself in the rec area and to distract herself she focused on the soft tunes she strummed on her seven-string hallisket, having taken up her old hobby again some weeks past. As it had been soothing when she was young it was soothing now...it was what she needed.

Merrin was somewhere in between moods, pacing a ring near the holo-table while she manipulated her talisman above her palm with her magick. Part of her enjoyed the excitement of each adventure that her new companions brought her on. She was also somewhat angry with Greez for having gotten Cal caught up in his troubles with these criminals, and now he had to clean up the pilot's mess. But she already knew that the two of them had reconciled on this matter some time before she had even joined them and throwing her own feelings into the mix would help nothing.

It had been Cal's decision to go to this place and put this matter to rest...but even still she loathed the situation. She, like Cal was force sensitive, though she knew it through another expression and could not shake an unsettling feeling. She knew the dark side perhaps best out of anyone on board the Mantis, having spent her life amidst it on dathomir and that made it difficult for her to ignore the signs. A darkness had been cast over them all, over their current course and most troubling for her...it's shadow hung deepest over Cal.

She drew her gaze from the talisman in her hands to the rear of the ship where Cal's room sat above the engine room. Her expression was always difficult to read but her brown eyes held an innate worry, since they had agreed on the venture to confront the brood Cal had not left his room. He'd often go there to meditate for periods of time before a mission but never this long and never with the door shut.

She glanced between Greez and Cere who both remained quiet and occupied, pocketing her talisman she made her way towards the ship's rear. Once at the door she didn't bother knocking, pressing the button and the metal sliding open with a quick hiss. Before she could step through the portal she was halted by BD-1 looking up at her inquisitively. Before speaking to the droid she glanced up to see Cal was not meditating...but sleeping on his cot.

She looked back to the droid, holding a finger to her lips, he nodded his small head with an affirming beep. She still did not understand the droid language but she had learned to communicate on a base level with BD-1. As the droid stepped out of her way she quietly made her way over to Cal, gently seating herself on the edge of his bed. Her previous anxieties had been mellowed by the sight of her closest friend sound asleep, he took on the most physical tasks whenever they made planet fall. Meaning that when he needed sleep, he really needed it.

He talked in his sleep as she'd been told he often did, his lips moving slightly as he murmured unintelligibly. He seemed somewhat restless but not so much that she wanted to wake him...not yet. Instead she found herself simply watching him stir occasionally, a small smile forming on her lips. She thought back to the first time they'd met...she tried to kill him-several times. But after her final attempt when he had chosen to return she had decided to confront him about his intent, what she learned confirmed Malicos' treachery and so she let him pass.

Cal and the fallen Jedi's clash of ideals revealed to her the truth about the Jedi...and the truth about him. That he, like the order before him sought to protect those who could not protect themselves and that he would commit himself to that idea even in the face of impossible odds...even in the face of death. Death nearly came for him too, but the battle was tipped when she intervened and together they defeated Malicos...and she gave him his long deserved fate.

Anger and determination were followed by a sad emptiness, Cal had found the key to the restoration of his order...something she would never have. She had assumed that he would depart dathomir to continue his journey and she would once again be left alone in the dark. But then he spoke to her of his own struggle with isolation and how he was ultimately forced on a path forward to find his place in the galaxy. Inspired by his words and admittedly touched by his empathy for her she offered to join him in his quest.

It was the bravest thing she had ever done, there were many reasons he could have rebuked her offer. And yet with no reluctance at all he welcomed her and since then she had found a new family in the crew of the Mantis, growing closer with them than she ever thought possible. She was most thankful for Cal who opened her eyes to just how much she had limited herself lingering on her home world. That was all she felt looking at him now, thankfulness and perhaps something else, she had felt a semblance of these feelings for another long ago...but she like the rest of her fellow Night Sisters were now gone.

Her hand reached out to brush a strand of his red hair back into place, the back of her finger trailing against his forehead before resting her hand on his arm. It was then he inhaled sharply his eyes starting to slowly blink open, quickly she withdrew her hand- somewhat terrified he had seen what she'd done.

He rubbed his eyes with one hand and groaned groggily, "C'mon Greez...it's still early..."

She chuckled softly, "Greez watches you sleep often does he?"

His eyes opened fully, looking up at her in surprise, clearing his throat and quickly rising onto his hands, "Merrin. Hey-hi, sorry...guess I'm just used to Greez waking me up."

"Well, I can always go get him if you prefer his method." she offered jokingly.

He held a hand up, "Oh no, no-no-no, that's **not** necessary." he sat up to sit on the edge next to her. "We've arrived?"

she shook her head, "Not yet."

"No?"

"You'd been in here sometime and I-Greez wasn't sure-...He should have assumed you were only tired, I'm sorry for waking you." she lied.

He smiled and shook his head, "It's fine, I've been out for awhile..." he leaned forward, his eyes turning to the floor ahead of him.

She leaned forward with him, trying to catch his gaze, "Is something wrong?"

He sighed, "I guess it's a good thing **you** woke me up..." he looked at her, "I want to tell you something."

"Yes?"

His eyes struggled to focus as he searched for words, "This mission-this time...I want to go alone."

Her eyes widened, she was taken aback, some months back she had accompanied him on one of his planet side missions. And since then she'd been with him through every peril and experience he encountered, keeping one another safe. Her previous dread returned swiftly.

Why?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

"It's just-...the brood doesn't know about you. Sorc's put a price on Greez and I's heads, not yours and if things go south I don't want you ending up on their radar-"

She lowered her gaze, "Cal. Cere told me what happened last time you were here; you almost didn't make it out, you make it sound like you might not make it out now."

"There's always a chance of that Merrin...even when you're with me." he reached for her hand, she grasped back as he went on, "I know what I'm asking isn't easy, since Nur you and I have done all these things together and I've always appreciated that...but this is something I wanna do on my own. Besides, I'm never alone; Ill have BD with me. Right bud?" he added positively, as the droid climbed up to his shoulder and beeped happily in agreement. She still looked uncertain, he leaned towards her, "If everything goes according to my plan I won't have any blasters pointed at me anyway, trust me."

She couldn't banish the dark pit in her stomach that had returned, but reluctantly she nodded, "I do trust you."

He smiled widely, "Thank you, Merrin."

She smiled back, their pilot's voice came over the intercom, "We're coming up on our destination."

Their hands parted and they stood, Cal straightened his vest and moved towards the door, "Guess I better get ready for my party."

"Cal." he turned back to her, "You might want this." she said with a smirk, his lightsaber in her hands that he'd left on the bed.

He rubbed the back of his neck shamefully and walked over to her, "Yeah, probably." He gently grasped the hilt from her hands, his gaze lingered on the saber.

She looked down at the weapon with him and brushed a hand against the Chromium surface, "This one you forged before we fought Malicos, the first one's blade was blue...your master's?"

He nodded solemnly, "Parts of it are still his..."

She looked back to him and stepped closer, "You've never spoke of him to me..."

He looked up at her, "Hopefully I'll get the chance to..."

The way he said that, her hesitance to let him go alone returned. Before either of them could say anything Greez's voice returned, "You know as much as I **love** sitting in the middle of nowhere, next to a very scary space station full of people who want to kill us. My plants do not so could you two hurry it up!"

Cal chuckled, "We're coming!" he shouted. He smiled to Merrin one last time before opening the door and leaving the room. She followed shortly after but she had not smiled back this time, not with the new circumstances and his last words.

They came out to join Cere at the hollow table, who was pulling up the viewing of Ordo Eris. Cal looked over to Greez in the pilot's seat, "How we looking Greez?"

"We're out of range of their scanners for now and as always when we do crazy stuff like this I'm keeping our power signature low, but the longer we sit here the more likely it is they'll detect us. I sure hope you know what you're doing kid."

"Look's like they've tightened security since our last visit here." Cere remarked, looking over the station.

"Means he's scared." Cal said, walking around the hollow table to her side.

"Maybe. But a cornered animal can be even more dangerous than the one chasing you, If you and Merrin are to dissuade him from pursuing us then you need to tread carefully."

Merrin folded her arms, "Cal has insisted on going alone this time." she stated matter-of-factly.

Cere and Greez looked to him in surprise, "Really?" Cere asked, "It's been a long time since you've gone on your own."

Greez leaned back to face them, "Are you sure that's a good idea kid? I mean having a Jedi knight **and** Nightsister with you would surely put the fear right in Sorc's ugly mug, make things easier eh? Not that I mind having the ship to myself or anything." he added in a mutter.

Cal walked to the front of the ship, placing a hand "The idea isn't to scare him, it's to make peace. He's lost a lot of his muscle that he sent after me and the only reason he's doing it now is cause he's afraid I'll come after him."

"And you really think it's a good idea to confront him about it. Here. On his home turf?" Cal shrugged, Greez exhaled slowly, "Course you do..."

"I'll find you the best route in." Cere said, manipulating the holo-map. Cal nodded to her before turning back to Greez, "What do you think the odds are?"

"Just handle em like you did those imps on Nur and I'll throw the whole pot in for ya."

Cal chuckled, then spoke to Greez in a lower tone, "And Greez, I'm surprised you sent Merrin to wake me up...thought you enjoyed making me suffer." he joked.

Greez raised his brow at him, "I didn't send nobody to wake you up..."

Cal blinked in confusion, "But, she said-..."

They both turned behind them to her, she wasn't looking there way at present. The pilot looked back to Cal, a smug smile forming on his face as he turned back to the wheel. He laughed quietly.

"What? What's so funny?" Cal asked.

"Oh nothin, nothin..." he said, barely able to contain himself.

Cal looked back towards Merrin, choosing to ignore how flustered he suddenly felt as he made his way back to the holo-table.

Cere pointed to the enlarged image of the station, "Here. One of the docking ports at the lower level leads into the prison block where you were kept last time."

"Fitting."

"It's less likely for you to get caught but...you'll have to use one of the escape pods, it'll be a lot harder landing than the one you had on Nur." she warned.

"Well...long as I don't blow up I can live with that." he said with a grin.

No one grinned back but Cere nodded, "I hope you're right about this...may the force be with you."

He nodded back then turned to Merrin, against his expectation she grasped both his hands with a small smile, "Good luck."

He smiled back, "Thanks."

She released his hands and looked to the droid on his shoulder, "Look after him BD1...someone has to."

Their small companion emitted a sound akin to a snicker, Cal smirked at the droid before making his way to the rear of the ship. Before he could enter the escape pod Greez interjected, "I think you're forgetting one crucial oversight here Cal; if things do go wrong how exactly am I supposed to extract you out of there."

"Improvise." he said with a shrug before entering the pod. He took one last look at his friends thru the small window before ejecting himself into space.

"'Improvise' he says..." Greez muttered.

Cere and Merrin made their way back to the holo-table and watched Cal's trajectory towards the station. When it vanished off the hologram Cere quickly moved to the cockpit, sitting in the second chair and speaking into the comm headset, "Cal, are you there?" No response.

Merrin moved to the front as well, she held her breath with wary anticipation as Cere tried to raise him again, "Cal...this is Cere, do you read me?"

Another silence threatened to draw out-, "I'm in." his voice responded.

They all let out a respective sigh of relief, Cere nodded, "Good, I'm sending you on the best route through the station. Should take you straight to Sorc's private box above the arena, you're gonna meet resistance."

"I'll handle it. I'll contact you again when I reach him."

"Copy that." She removed the headset and turned to look out towards Ordo Eris, "All we can do now is wait."

"Yeah, waiting...hate that." Greez complained.

"In this instance, I agree." Merrin said as she slowly walked away from the cockpit.

Cere turned her chair towards the Nightsister's direction, "In the meantime, Merrin...I've been meaning to talk to you."

Merrin turned back to face the former Jedi, unsure what conversation was coming, "Yes?"

The elder woman leaned forward with her hands together, searching for her words briefly, "What exactly is...going on, between you and Cal?"

Her brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"

A quiet snicker drew both their attention to Greez briefly before facing one another again, Cere continued, "You two have grown rather close these past months..."

Merrin folded her arms defensively, her eyes narrowing, "Is there something wrong with that?"

"I don't know yet."

The way she said that started to make her angry, Cere sat back in her chair, "I suppose you don't know much of the Jedi code do you?"

The Nightsister sat back against the hollow-table, "I suppose you wish to teach me." she replied with obvious contempt.

The Lateron pilot glanced between the two women cautiously before pretending to be occupied, choosing to stay out of this one as Cere went on, "A major tenant of the Jedi code forbids us from forming emotional attachments."

Merrin raised an eyebrow, "So Jedi are meant to be emotionless then?"

"Well...no but-...A Jedi's responsibility is to the greater goal of keeping the peace across the galaxy. Foregoing attachment allows us to keep that objective in mind without outside distraction, without the one thing that might matter more than our mission."

"And do all the Jedi you have known follow this tenant?" The Nightsister's expression and tone showed she was still unconvinced.

Cere sighed heavily, her gaze turning to the floor, "No...no they did not. I myself am a perfect example at failure to keep one's emotions in check...and there is always a cost, in my case it was to myself." She looked back to the younger woman, "But...Nightsister's and Jedi have never seen eye to eye on how we view the force and I'm not sure we ever will. So I'll ask you straight out...what is it that you see in Cal?"

Merrin's hard gaze softened at the question, she looked down at the floor as she thought about it. She stood to full height and started walking around the holo-table, "I will not lie...when Cal went to face Malicos I saw an opportunity to rid dathomir of his ilk. And with his help I did just that, but...that was not the only reason. I could see that he knew he was no match for Malicos and yet he chose to fight that madman anyway...for those children, for those who could not protect themselves." She stopped in place, looking back at Cere, "And then we found the Astrium, the sheer hope in his eyes...and he placed that hope in my hands despite having only known me for mere moments, he trusted me with that."

She looked away from Cere and down at her own hands, "And if not for his words, for his acceptance of me, I would still be sulking in the dark...with only the dead for company..." She turned back to the elder woman with a small smile on her face, "It's clear that Cal may not be the strongest of your number, but he is one of the bravest."

Against Merrin's expectations Cere smiled and nodded slowly, "You've no idea how true that is." She stood and walked over to her, "Both he and Taron Malicos went into Kujet's tomb and saw something...horrible, it turned both their gazes inward but what Malicos saw unmade him. But Cal...Cal mustered the courage to face his past again, to let go of his guilt and move on, ultimately he came out of it stronger than he was before."

Her smile grew a little wider before it faded and she turned her head, "What did Cal see?"

Cere breathed out slowly and shook her head, "That's something you'll have to ask him yourself...it's not my place to say. But you should know that it was very painful for him, it was more than anyone should ever have to bear...but he did anyway." She folded her arms, "And you should know that I don't think you wrong for admiring these things about him."

"But you still don't approve?" Merrin's previously hard eyes returned.

"I don't want Cal to lose who he is...even for you."

The Nightsister's face grew harsher with anger, her eyes glowing a slight green, "I would never force Cal to change himself!"

"I know you wouldn't." Cere replied calmly.

Merrin's anger remained but was now mixed with disbelief and slight confusion, she could not understand why Cere thought Cal would lose himself because of her.

Greez at last spoke up as he turned his chair to face the two women, breaking their stare down, "OK! So, much as I hate to interrupt this 'lovely' debate I've just had a genius idea! Cere why not slice into Sorc's live feeds of the arena that way we can have an angle on the joint in case anything goes wrong? Just sayin, it's a pretty good idea."

The former Jedi walked around Merrin, "Good idea Greez."

The angry silver haired woman put her feelings aside...for now. She turned to the holo-table as Greez came to stand beside her while Cere worked on breaking through to the station's feed that Sorc Tormo would broadcast over. Not a moment later the holographic image of the arena appeared and what they saw filled them all with shock and dread. Cal was standing in the middle of the ring with his saber ignited looking up at and speaking to someone.

"Something went wrong." Cere spoke plainly.

"He's in arena-why is he in the arena!? He's supposed to be in the box putting the squeeze on Sorc not down there with the schlubs!" Greez said in a panic.

Merrin leaned heavily on the holo-table, looking fearfully at the image of Cal in the middle of a place of slaughter. She opened her mouth to speak but only managed a faint whisper of one word, "Cal..."

**Those of you who've read my other work, you know I love my cliffhangers. Not sure when I'll have another chapter out but hopefully soon, please don't hesitate to let me know what you think of it and ask questions. Be sure to Fav, Follow and review and I will see you all next time!**


	2. Lies

**Hello All, I've returned with another chapter of this story and I hope you all enjoy it.**

Chapter 2: Lies

The door to Cal's pod had jammed, putting a hand to the glass he focused the force creating a large crack in the surface. With a hard kick the glass shattered outward, cautiously he stepped out from the pod and scanned his surroundings. His arrival, however noisy seemed to have gone unnoticed, though he knew that wouldn't last long.

The stench of oil and rusted metal filled the cold air around him, the dark halls of rock and iron echoed faintly with the sounds from the arena above. He looked down as BD-1 brought up the holo-map and the path that would take him towards Sorc's office. With a frown he looked to the droid who returned his sadness with a melancholy beep, a slight flicker and the previous path was replaced with one that lead straight to the arena.

"I know bud, but this is the only way...This way nobody has to get hurt-well...maybe a few people will get hurt." BD-1 nudged for Cal to press on, he nodded, "You're right, let's not keep Sorc waiting."

The young Jedi made his way through the dark halls until he found himself facing a long corridor that led to a small turbo lift going up to the arena's level. As they moved on he stopped and looked at the racks filled with weapons and armor lining the corridor. Despite most of it being crude or cheaply made, he saw a few pieces that he could make use of. He picked up a metal pauldron and bracer, running a hand along its unexpectedly shinny surface, very strange considering the poor conditions the gear was kept in.

A closer look revealed it's secret, "Beskar..."

BD-1 Beeped questioningly.

"Mandalorian iron, it's tougher than almost any other metal, resistant to blaster fire-even lightsabers. It's rare...really rare." he mused. Glancing to BD-1 and scoffing, "Probably didn't even know what it was when they picked it up." He fastened the pauldron over his right shoulder and the bracer on his left forearm. "Good thing I do, It'll come in handy."

In addition he found a second durasteel bracer of suitable quality he affixed to his right arm, a waist belt with a few small knives in it's holsters, a ragged cloth skirting flowed from the edge of the belt with the image of an anooba painted on it's surface-which he couldn't help but like. Finally he strapped a leather sheath to his back and holstered the large, curved blade that went with it.

'Uncivilized and barbaric' is how most Jedi master's of old would have referred to these new armaments he adorned. But this was not a civilized place and what he was about to partake in could certainly be called barbaric to say the least. He rolled his shoulders, taking a moment to adjust to the weight and feel of the armor and weapons.

He looked to his droid companion and nodded, "Ready?"

He replied positively, as always.

Cal moved to the end of the corridor and stepped onto the center pad of the turbo lift, with a harsh, shaky groan the rusted metal ebbed upwards at a steady rate that carried him higher and higher. He arrived at a large dimly lit space, filled with benches where several 'contestants' all waited their turn to step into the arena...waiting for their turn to die. Besides the flickering overhead lights, the only other illumination were the several small windows cut into the large metal door that led out into the arena.

As he stepped off the turbo lift, the fighters all turned, surprised to see someone come up from below. Some began chattering in their own languages while others stood, sizing up the new arrival. He ignored them all, walking straight for the door controls. A large trandoshan who stood by them moved to intercept him, "Hey shorty, wait your turn!"

In no mood to negotiate Cal ignited his saber, the cyan blade adding an all new source of light that caused all the others to gasp and shy away. The trandoshan held his hands up defensively, fear painted clearly even on his reptilian features.

"Open the gate." Cal stated firmly, holding the saber towards him.

With some reluctance but knowing he had no choice, the reptile reached back and pushed the button and the large door lifted upward. The Jedi walked out from the dark and into the bright light of the arena, blinding him at first. Before his vision cleared all he heard was the faint sound of blades clashing and the crowds in the stands above that cheered for the violence. When his eyes adjusted he saw the several dead warriors and beasts all across the floor of the arena amongst the four large pillars, at the center the last two dueled with ragged swords. He steadily made his way towards them, as he walked further out into the ring the cheering from the crowd faded into cries of awe and confusion-even terror in some cases at the sight of a Jedi knight.

At last he reached the two warriors, just before their weapons collided again he outstretched his free hand. The combatants suddenly found themselves frozen in place, straining as they were unable to move briefly before they were forced apart, screaming as they flew back in either direction and landed painfully on the floor.

Cal turned his focus to the private box in the upper corner of the arena, all eyes were on him now, all he had to do was wait. And he did not have to wait long before a gleeful cackle preluded a towering blue hologram materializing ahead of him. The image of the thin umbaran man smiled smugly with his arms held outward, "Well, well! Look who it is! If I had known you'd just up and show all by yourself I wouldn't have sent all those bounty hunters to an untimely end."

Shortly after several of the brood's enforcers descended from the upper levels, landing at the edges of the arena-all aiming down sight at Cal. Sorc chuckled again, "At least I won't have to pay any of them now...I see you got yourself a new toy, but surely you didn't think you were just gonna walk in here and take me out?"

"I'm not here to take you out Tormo..." Cal lifted his saber and deactivated it. "I came here to bargain."

Sorc's brow raised, he raised his hands for the enforcers to lower their weapons, "Bargain?"

"You've had a price on my head ever since I escaped from here and you've sent goon after goon to bring me in...and I've dealt with every-single-one of them. I'm gonna guess your thugs are gettinga little tired being shaak to the slaughter..."

Sorc seemed to reluctantly acknowledge this fact as he started to pace back and forth with his hands together, "I'll give to ya kid, it has been getting harder and harder to find the kind of scum brave enough to chase you down...but then, I don't have to worry about that now that you've so conveniently brought yourself here."

"True. But I've learned a lot since the last time I was here, I made a mess then...and I can make even bigger mess now if I have to."

The crime lord leaned down with a grin, "If that's true, then what's stopping you?"

"I didn't come here to make war. I came to settle Greez and I's debt once and for all."

"How?"

Cal turned, gesturing to the edges of the arena, "Send everything you've got at me; every beast, every pit fighter you've got-send your best! If I come out on top then you clear the bounty on our heads and we never have to see each other again. Think about it Sorc, whether I win or lose you broadcast a show like that and it'll make you a ton of credits, either way **you** win."

Sorc seemed to like this idea, smiling as he folded his arms, "I gotta admit I like the sound of that, but what happens...if you lose?"

Cal sighed heavily, looking down at the floor briefly before looking back to the hologram with hard eyes. "You get me."

OoO

"Greez get us over that station, we've got to get him out of there!" Cere snapped.

While she and the pilot made their way to their places at the ship's helm, Merrin could only stare at the holo projector. A mix on bewilderment and worry apparent on her features, she could not understand why he was doing this, she could not understand...why he had lied. She stumbled sideways from the holo-table as the Mantis jerked port towards Ordo Eris. The Nightsister drew her focus away from the device to join the others at the front of the ship.

As they drew closer Cere suddenly held a hand up towards their pilot, "Wait Greez."

"Wh-what? What am I waiting for?" he exclaimed, as he slowed their approach to the station.

She moved to her console at the starboard side, peering at the screen in worry, "I'm detecting a ship coming out of hyperspace..."

"What kind of ship?" Merrin asked.

A loud boom followed- the sound of something very large exiting light speed. Now all their faces became stricken with dread as a massive shadow was cast over them that was headed towards the station as well. The empire had come and things had just taken a turn for even worse...

Thinking quickly Cere started to turn towards the Nightsister, "Merrin we need you to-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the second escape pod had already launched. Looking to the holo-table she saw that it was headed for the same area of Ordo Eris Cal had landed in.

With a small amount of humor Greez commented, "Guess she's on it."

Before Cere could retort she looked out the forward window, "TIE fighters!"

"Oh poodoo." Greez remarked scornfully.

They both quickly strapped in, Greez accelerated their speed to match the fighters. Firing the guns to destroy one as several others zoomed past them to circle back around. Despite not being designed for dog fights the Mantis was maneuverable enough to compete with the imperial star fighters-for a time.

"What about Cal and Merrin?" Greez asked.

"They'll have to take care of themselves until we deal with these TIEs, then the tricky part is getting around that destroyer. I'm taking control of the guns-focus on flying, this isn't going to be as easy as last time."

"Oh when is it ever easy!?"

OoO

"Assuming you survive...you'd stay here and fight in my arena for the rest of your life?"

"Forever..." Cal replied reluctantly.

Sorc grasped his chin in thought, "Hmm...alright kid, I'll take you up on your deal. I could certainly make millions with a Jedi as the champion of my arena-" before he could go on someone else in the hologram tapped the crime lord on the shoulder. He turned back to the irritant, "What-what! What is it, I'm busy!...what? What do you mean 'a ship coming out of hyperspace!'"

Cal's brow furrowed and he took a step forward, before he could question Sorc further the answer came. An ominous boom shook the station as a massive ship warped into real space at uncomfortably close proximity that could be seen through the translucent shield. Cal's eyes widened as he recognized it instantly, an imperial star destroyer. It was then he came to the realization; Ordo Eris broadcasted it's fights, they were watching...they were listening.

Just as panic began to grip the crowds who pushed to get out of the area, a number of TIE fighters soared past the station and fired a few shots that further rocked the station, terrified screams flooding the arena. Sorc's hologram dissipated and Cal suspected that would be the last he'd see of him. Following the wake of the TIE's, three LAAT/le gunship's flew towards the station, escorted by two more fighters and...an inquisitorial star ship. The Haxion Brood enforcers no longer had their weapons trained on him but instead prepared to fight the imperials.

The fighters entered the shield first, their laser cannons opening on all those in the arena, the enforcers all broke for cover. Cal himself made it behind one of the pillars before the deadly green bolts reached him and ignited the fore blade of his saber. When one of the fighters turned on the fleeing crowd Cal grimaced and left his cover, hurling his weapon at the ship, the cyan blade cut clean through it's wing-sending it spiraling to the ground in a crumbling explosion.

Summoning his weapon he ducked back behind the pillar when the other TIE began firing on him. Without a proper opening he doubted he could take the other down, thankfully he didn't have to, one of the Haxion bounty hunter's using their jetpack landed on top of the ship and firing a shot through the glass to kill the pilot. The mercenary pushed off the fighter to hover in the air as the TIE toppled to the ground with the other.

Cal smirked at the hunter's surprisingly heroic action but did not get to admire long as the gunship's now pushed through the shield. The hunter was shot from the air by the forward cannons of the first transport, Cal left his cover, venturing out into the open. The first two gunships and the inquisitorial ship landed near the shield's entrance, two squads of stormtroopers mixed with scouts each led by a purge trooper poured out from all three ships. What remained of the brood enforcers engaged the imperial troops despite being outnumbered.

The third gunship remained airborne and circled the arena, it's port door opened revealing another two squads and an E-Web heavy blaster being manned by one of the purge troopers. Without hesitation the black armored soldier open fired, primarily at Cal but didn't seem mind if he hit anyone else. The Jedi quickly ignited the second blade of his saber, deflecting the blaster fire as he spun back to cover-one of the shots struck his shoulder but the beskar protected him, leaving only minor scarring. Laser fire continued to pepper his position as the gunship began to circle the pillar, forcing Cal to move his way around it.

A small missile hit the rear of the vessel, causing the gunner to turn his focus away to deal with the enforcers. Seeing his opening Cal rolled out of cover and slung his lightsaber as a spear, as the gunner turned back the plasma blade flew right down the barrel of the E-Web. A violent explosion erupted from the weapon, destroying the port side of the ship and causing it to drop hard, skidding against the ground with a piercing screech.

Though fighting continued around him Cal breathed out, able to relax for a moment as he recalled his weapon to him and deactivated it. He was disturbed however to see movement from the gunship's wreckage, a stormtrooper's corpse fell out from the smoke, followed by one of the Inquisitorius' black armored soldiers who gripped his side. The purge trooper's armor was heavily damaged-likely the same one that fired the E-Web at him, despite his injuries the fanatic gripped his electro-staff tightly and growled before charging at full speed.

Cal reignited a single blade of his weapon and waited for his opponent to get in range. But just as he raised his free hand to slow them the trooper suddenly stopped, dropping the staff-his hands flying to his own throat, choking as he lifted off the ground. Cal's jaw dropped in disgust as a sickening crunch followed, the trooper's body going limp in the air before slumping to the floor.

"Not just anyone get's to kill you...you're **mine**."

Cal suddenly felt himself gripped by disbelief and anger, he knew that voice, turning swiftly he saw his worst fears confirmed. Her now cybernetic hand that had been raised to kill the purge trooper lowered to her side, the other gripped an inquisitor's lightsaber with a single ignited blade. The Ninth Sister grinned sinisterly with her arms out, "Miss me?"

**As far as when the next chapter will be I can't say for certain right now, I'm going to be trying to turn my focus back to finishing the Crocus and the Crow but I'll still be working on this in between as I really enjoy them both. I highly encourage you all to check out my other story as well, if you like my writing, dark fantasy, magic and sword play then I'm sure you'll enjoy it.**

**Couple of other things I'd like to address before you leave;**

**I don't actually know for sure if LAAT/le gunships were actually capable of transporting troops in space transit but I would assume they could given that their design is similar to the LAAT/i utilized by the republic army during the Clone Wars. If you know the answer then please enlighten me but for the purpose of this battle I thought it fitting.**

**I felt the need to update Cal's aesthetic to reflect his confidence and how much his character had grown over the course of the first game (I might've accidentally turned him into Star Killer a little bit).**

**Shaak are a native pack animal of Naboo that first appeared in Attack of the Clones, look sorta like a chubby watermelon with four stubby legs and the head of a tapir. Closest thing I could think as a 'sheep' in the star wars universe.**

**If you've seen the Clone Wars Citadel arc in season three then I assume you know what an anooba is. And drawing upon the previous point can piece together why it's a fitting symbol for Cal.**

**That's all for now, remember to fav, follow and review and I hope to see you all real soon! :)**

**#CloneWarsSaved**


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